Yesterday had an endoscopy, all ok apart from 2 spots of inflammation, 2 biopsies were taken and the doc said not to worry they're stage 1

[nuttytreacle]

Easy 4 him to say! He also saw bile reflux, which he's recommended metoclopramide. I'm so worried that it'll get worse b4 I know it.I take 20mg Omeprozole aday

[Hidden]

It is an anxious period and it is natural to be worried. In some ways this is the worst period when you know you have something malignant, but do not know what will happen in relation to treatment. There will probably be more scans etc and a multi-disciplinary team meeting to work out the best strategy for your treatment, and this will probably take a couple of weeks or so. You probably feel that you just want to get on with things, but this delay will not have an effect on the medical outcome. This period is also the time when you have to get your head round what had happened, an to start off the mental and emotional pathway that you will travel along, as well as the medical pathway.

Stage 1 means that they have caught it before the tumour gets deeper into the lining of the oesophagus, which, if you have oesophageal cancer in the first place, is really good news. One of the things that they will also need to consider is what the biopsies show in the places where the inflammation has been found.

The decision will probably be whether they can remove the tumour without taking out a section of the oesophagus; if they can that is much better than an oesophagectomy operation. There will also be a decision about whether you need chemotherapy or not; if it were in the later stages there would be no question that you need it. So this period of analysis and consideration by the medical people will be quite a crucial one about what kind of curative treatment they offer you.

Some people find it helps to write down the questions and the issues they want to discuss with the doctors for the next appointment. It is also good to involve your spouse/partner/family in all this as they will go through a tricky journey as well as you. And take somebody with you to the next appointment because two heads are better than one for remembering things.

Some people find it helpful to get things straight in their own minds first before telling anybody else. Telling other people can be quite a tricky situation because you have to deal with their reactions, which may not always be very helpful.

All other things being equal you will be able to come through the treatment all right. You would not have wanted it to happen, but sometimes in life stuff happens that we cannot control. But many people do find that they have the strength and resilience to cope with things beyond what they would have imagined; and find friendship and support from the most unexpected places.

[nuttytreacle in reply to Hidden]

Sorry, didn't make myself clear, I've already had an oesphagotmy just under 2 years ago, the endoscopy was a check up, the inflammation is called oesophagtis, my gp has doubled my Omeprozole and put me on metoclopramide as I seem to have bile reflux